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Navigation cameras
Panoramic cameras
Mini-thermal emission spectrometer (at rear)
Low-gain antenna
High-gain antenna
Rocker-bogie mobility system
Front (2) and rear (2) hazard avoidance cameras (not Shown)
Solar arrays
UHF antenna
Microscopic imager
Rock abrasion tool
Mössbauer spectrometer
Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer
Magnet array (forward)
Calibration target
The image on the cover is an artist’s concept of one of the two NASA Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. Spirit landed on Mars at Gusev Crater January 4, 2004 (UTC), and Opportunity landed on the opposite side of the planet at Eagle Crater on Meridiani Planum January 25, 2004. The rovers were originally planned to operate for 90 Martian days (called sols). They have surprised even their designers with their longevity and accomplishment, as 2009 marks the fifth anniversary of the rovers’ successful exploration on the surface of Mars.
Learn more about the mission and its findings at marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Notes on calendar format and symbols
A Martian Year: Earth is the third planet from the Sun and Mars is the fourth. Mars travels farther around the Sun in its orbit than Earth does. For this reason, a Mars year is longer than an Earth year. A
EARTH
MARS
Mars year is 687 Earth days long, almost two Earth years. And for this February 1, 2009
reason, this one-Martian-year calendar covers two Earth years. Each page of this calendar has a diagram showing the relative positions of Earth and Mars at that time in their journeys around the Sun.
A Martian Day: Mars rotates on its axis similarly to Earth, but a little more slowly, so a Mars day is a little longer than an Earth day. The Mars day, which we call a "sol," takes 24 hours, 39-1/2 minutes. The red and blue numbers in the calendar squares indicate how many sols have passed since Spirit (designated "A" and shown in red type) and Opportunity ("B" in blue type) landed on Mars. Those dates were January 4, 2004, for Spirit and January 25, 2004, for Opportunity. For example, on January 1, 2009, the numbers A1777 and B1757 mean that this date marks the 1777th sol that MER-A (technical name for Spirit) has spent on Mars and the 1757th sol for MER-B (Opportunity).You will notice that because a sol is slightly longer than a day, about every 36 days, the calendar skips an Earth day in counting the sols for each of the rovers. This way, the days and sols can stay synchronized on the calendar.
Day of Year: The number in the top right corner of each calendar square is the consecutive day of year (DOY) number, commonly used in space mission operations as a shorthand way of giving the date.
Martian seasons: The Ls number on the first day of each month is the Mars solar longitude. Imagine looking down on the solar system from a position “above” the Sun's north pole. If you draw a line from the Sun to Mars, the position of Mars at its northern vernal equinox is assigned 0° solar longitude. As Mars travels around the Sun through 360°, it experiences seasons just as Earth does.
Northern Spring/Southern Autumn start at 0° Northern Summer/Southern Winter start at 90° Northern Autumn/Southern Spring start at 180° Northern Winter/Southern Summer begin at 270°
Mission Objective: The objective of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission is to determine the water, climatic, and geologic history of two sites on Mars where evidence has been preserved of past and persistent water activity that may have supported life.
Science Instruments: Spirit and Opportunity have “eyes” (powerful stereoscopic imagers) and an “arm” with powerful instruments attached that can be maneuvered like hands.
The Panoramic cameras (Pancam) are the most capable cameras ever sent to the surface of another planet. They sit atop a mast that allows the cameras to rotate in a complete circle. The cameras can also tilt vertically from straight up to straight down. Each of the Pancams has a filter wheel that allows it to make images in only certain wavelengths of light—a capability that allows certain details of the scene to be more easily
discerned.
The Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) analyzes infrared light, which is a part of the spectrum that humans cannot see, but we feel as heat. The Mini- TES identifies rock-forming minerals, even some that are coated with dust. It collects data on the heat-holding properties of rocks and soils. It can also point upward and measure the varying temperatures of the Martian atmosphere from the surface up to10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
The Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), about the size of a 12-ounce soda can, brushes and grinds rocks to clean away dust and other surface deposits. Once the undersurface is exposed, the rover's spectrometers can find out their composition and search for ancient evidence of water on Mars.
The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer measures the chemical composition of Martian rocks and soil. It works by bombarding the material in question with energetic alpha particles and X-rays from the synthetic radioactive element curium-244. The emitted X-ray energy has a particular spectrum, or fingerprint, which the spectrometer measures to identify the element.
The Mössbauer Spectrometer also measures the chemical composition of materials, specializing in different kinds of iron-bearing rocks and soils. Placed directly up against the target material, the spectrometer illuminates it with gamma particles emitted by the radioactive element cobalt-57. The particles interact with the targeted material, and characteristics of the radiation reflected back into the spectrometer reveal the presence, amount and types of iron-bearing minerals.
The Microscopic Imager, like the RAT and the spectrometers, is located on the turret or “fist” of the rover arm. It is a combination of microscope optics and a camera that provides detailed images on the small-scale features of Martian rocks and soils. The Microscopic Imager has allowed scientists to characterize the undersurface of rocks. When able to see beneath the outer, weathered coating and layers of dust, scientists can better determine how the rocks formed.
We have arrived! NASA/JPL/Cornell
January 2009 February 2009 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
After exiting its protective landing system, the Mars rover Spirit turned to capture this spectacular view of its landing site, the floor of Gusev Crater. The lander platform was named the Columbia Memorial Station in honor of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew. In the background are the Columbia Hills, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) away. They were among the first destinations of Spirit's long journey. On January 4, 2009, its 5th Earth-year anniversary on Mars, Spirit had logged a total of approximately 7.5 km (4.7 miles). On Opportunity's 5th anniversary, January 25, 2009, it had logged 13.6 km (8.5 miles) on Meridiani Planum on the opposite side of the planet.
1
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11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20
25 26 27
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5 6 7 8 9 10
2 31 2 3 1 2 3 432 33 34 35 5 6 736 37 38
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8 9 10 11 12 13 1439 40 41 42 43 44 45
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 15 16 17 18 19 20 2146 47 48 49 50 51 52
22 23 24 25 26 27 2853 54 55 56 57 58 5918 19 20
25 26 27 28 29 3028 29 30 31 31
21 22 23 24
MARS
EARTH
February 1, 2009
A1777 B1757
L =183.4so L =201.5s
o
A1778 B1758
A1779 B1759
A1780 B1760
A1781 A1782 B1761
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A1784 B1763
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A1817 A1818 B1797
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A1821 B1800
A1822 B1801
A1823 B1802
A1824 B1803
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A1826 B1805
A1827 B1806
A1828 B1807
A1829 B1808
A1830 B1809
A1831 B1810
A1832 B1811
A1833 B1812
A1834 B1813
Spirit’s 5th Earth
Anniversary
Opportunity’s 5th Earth
Anniversary
Blueberry surprise
This image from Opportunity’s Microscopic Imager on sol 13 shows round, blueberry-shaped formations in the Martian soil near a part of the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum called Stone Mountain. The “blueberries” averaged 5 millimeters (about .2 inch) in diameter. Measurements by the spectrometers onboard Opportunity indicated that the berries were composed largely of gray hematite. The presence of this particular mineral form of iron oxide strongly hints that water played a significant role in Mars’ past.
NASA/JPL/USGS
1
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15 16 17 18 19 20 21
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29 30 31
25 26 27 28
9 10 11 12 13 14
2 3 4 5 6 760 61 62 63 1 2 3 491 92 9364 65 66
67 68 69 70 71 72 73 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 95 96 97 98 99 100 101
74 75 76 77 78 79 80 12 13 14 15 16 17 18102 103 104 105 106 107 108
19 20 21 22 23 24 25109 110 111 112 113 114 11581 82 83
88 89 29 30119 12027 2811726 116 11890
84 85 86 87
MARS
EARTH
April 1, 2009
A1835 B1814 B1815
A1836 B1816
A1838 B1818
A1839 B1819
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A1890
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Mars Perihelion
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
March 2009 April 2009
L =218.6so L =238.0s
o
Getting under the surface NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
May 2009 June 2009 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
4 155
A1927 B1906
10 161
A1933 B1912
Spirit launched in 2003
11 162
A1934 B1913
17 168
A1940 B1919
18 169
A1941 B1920
24 175
A1946 B1926
25 176
A1947 B1927
Captured on Sol 86 of Spirit’s mission on Mars, this false-color Pancam image of the rock Mazatzal dem-onstrates the range of operations the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) can perform. On the right, a RAT brushing operation removed overlying surface material for the spectrometers and, on the left, a mosaic of brushing operations cleaned a larger area for analysis with the Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer. The bright spot in the center highlights the area where the RAT abraded away the rock exterior so that contact spectrom-eters could analyze the un-weathered interior.
MARS
14 15134 16
29 30
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21 22 23
7 8 9
1 2 1 2152 153121 122
127 128 129 7 8 9158 159 160
135 136 14 15 16165 166 167
21 22 23172 173 174
14924144 15027 28147 14825 26145 146 29 3018028 179 181
151
141 142 143
EARTH
June 1, 2009
A1895 B1874
A1900 B1879
A1901 B1880
A1902 B1881
A1907 B1886 B1888
A1908 B1887
A1913 B1893
A1916 B1896
A1923 B1903
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A1944 B1923 B1924
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A1950 B1930
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A1914 B1894
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A1894 B1873
Southern Mars
Summer Solstice
L =257.0so L =276.6s
o
5 125
A1898 B1877
6 126
A1899 B1878
12 132
A1905 B1884
13 133
A1906 B1885
19 139
A1911 B1891
20 140
A1912 B1892
3 154
A1926
5 156
A1928 B1907
6 157
A1929 B1908
3 123
A1896 B1875
4 124
A1897 B1876
12 163
A1935 B1914
13 164
A1936 B1915
10 130
A1903 B1882
11 131
A1904 B1883
19 170
A1942 B1921
20 171
A1943 B1922
17 137
A1909 B1889
18 138
A1910 B1890
26 177
A1948 B1928
27 178
A1949 B1929
In the top panorama (taken sols 117-123), Opportunity overlooks Endurance Crater. Before the rover plunged in, mission planners wanted to make sure it would be able to get out again. The second image shows the planned “escape hatch.” The intrepid rover ventured into the crater and began to explore. By the time it rolled up to the base of Burns Cliff at the southeastern portion of the crater and began taking the images in the bottom wide-angle panorama, it was sol 287. Opportunity entered the crater on sol 133 and exited on sol 315.
NASA/JPL/Cornell
30
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243
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19 20 21
31
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6 7 8 9 10 11
3 4 1 213184 1851 2182 183
186 187 188 189 190 191 192 2 3 4 5 6 7 8214 215 216 217 218 219 220
193 194 195 196 197 198 199 9 10 11 12 13 14 15221 222 223 224 225 226 227
16 17 18 19 20 21 22228 229 230 231 232 233 234200 201 202
21229 30210 21127 2820826 207 209 25 237 27 2823926 238 240 29 241
203 204 205 206
MARS
EARTH
August 1, 2009
A1953B1933
A1954B1934
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A1958B1938
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A1961B1941
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A1962B1942
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A1963
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A1999 A2000B1979
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A2008B1987
A2009B1988
A2010B1989
A2011B1990
A2012B1991
A2013B1992
A1998B1978
A1989B1969
A1957B1937
Spirit’s 3rd Martian Anniversary
Opportunitylaunched in 2003
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
July 2009 August 2009
L =295.0so L =313.3s
o
Plunging into a craterPlunging into a crater
A trail of holes
This false-color view from Opportunity’s Pancam (taken on sol 173) shows the first seven holes that the rover’s Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) dug on the inner slope of Endurance Crater. The false color allows the holes to be much more visible than they would be in a natural-color image. Note that the sky on Mars is not really blue, as it appears in this image. The rover was about 12 meters (about 39 feet) down into the crater, with the Pancam looking back toward the rover’s tracks. The tailings around the holes show evidence of fine-grained red hematite similar to what was observed months earlier in Eagle Crater outcrop holes.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
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20 21 22 23 24 25 26
7 8 9 10 11 12
4 5 3 2761 274 2 275247 2482 32451 244 246
249 250 251 252 253 254 255 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 277 278 279 280 281 282 283
256 257 258 259 260 261 262 11 12 13 14 15 16 17284 285 286 287 288 289 290
18 19 20 21 22 23 24291 292 293 294 295 296 297263 264 265
30 27328 2927127 270 272 27 300 29 3030228 30125 298 26 299 303 31 304
266 267 268 269
MARS
EARTH
October 1, 2009
A2014 B1993
A2015 B1994
A2016 B1995
A2017 B1996 B1997
A2018 B1998
A2019 B1999
A2020 B2000
A2021 B2001
A2022 B2002
A2023 B2003
A2024 B2004
A2025 B2005
A2026 B2006
A2027 B2007
A2028 B2008
A2029 B2009
A2030 B2010
A2031 B2011
A2032 B2012
A2033 B2013
A2034 B2014
A2035 B2015
A2036 A2037 B2016
A2039 B2018
A2041 B2020
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A2038 B2017
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A2072
A2056 B2036
A2059 B2039
A2061 B2041
A2058 B2038
A2060 B2040
A2040 B2019
Opportunity’s 3rd Martian Anniversary
Southern Mars
Autumnal Equinox
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
September 2009 October 2009
L =330.8so L =346.8s
o
Pale hints of past water
In both the above images, Spirit's wheels have churned up light-toned soil lying just beneath the Martian surface soil in Gusev Crater. In the top image, taken by the Pancam on Spirit's sol 788, the bright soil is confirmed by Spirit's instruments to have a salty chemistry dominated by iron-bearing sulfates. In the bottom image, taken on sol 1202, the light-colored soil is found to be predominantly silica. These two minerals share a likely origin in water. While sulfates can form in several ways, water is involved in most. The deposits of nearly pure silica in Gusev Crater may have formed when volcanic steam or hot water (or maybe both) percolated through the ground. Such deposits are found around hydrothermal vents like those in Yellowstone National Park.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
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9 10 11 12 13 14
6 7 5 3393 337 4 3381 335 2 336310 3114 53083 3072 3061 305 309
312 313 314 315 316 317 318 6 7 8 9 10 11 12340 341 342 343 344 345 346
319 320 321 322 323 324 325 13 14 15 16 17 18 19347 348 349 350 351 352 353
20 21 22 23 24 25 26354 355 356 357 358 359 360326 327 328
30 33429 333 29 363 31 36530 36427 361 28 362
329 330 331 332
MARS
EARTH
December 1, 2009
A2073 B2052
A2074 B2053
A2075 B2054
A2076 B2055
A2077 B2056
A2078 B2057
A2079 B2058
A2102 B2082
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A2126 B2105 B2106
A2131 B2111
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A2108A2085 B2064
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A2090 B2069 B2070
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A2100 B2080
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A2083 B2062
A2086 B2065
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
November 2009 December 2009
L =2.6so L =17.1s
o
The top image is the view from Opportunity on sol 211 of the dune field within Endurance Crater. The dust (a lighter color) accumulates near the dune crests, while hematite-rich spherules (like the “blueberries” in the March-April 2009 image), which appear blue against the scene in this false color version, tend to rest in troughs with more gradual slopes. The bottom panorama from Opportunity (taken from sols 456 to 464) , shows Purgatory Dune in which the rover was stuck for over a month. These wind-blown sand and dust features are constantly changing, reaffirming the dynamic nature of the Martian environment.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 1338 39 40 41 42 43 44
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21 22 23 24 25 26 2752 53 54 55 56 57 5817 18 19
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MARS
EARTH
February 1, 2010
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
January 2010 February 2010
A2132B2112
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A2181
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A2189B2168
A2162B2141
Spirit’s6th Earth
Anniversary
Mars Opposition
Opportunity’s6th Earth
Anniversary
L =31.5so L =45.5s
o
Dynamic dunes
Spirit's self-portrait
This self-portrait of Spirit, taken on its Sol 586, shows the solar panels still gleaming in the Martian sunlight and carrying only a thin veneer of dust even two years after the rover landed and began exploring the red planet. Spirit’s Pancam took this mosaic of images as part of a mammoth undertaking that resulted in the largest panorama ever acquired by Spirit at the time. This image is a subset of that panorama, showing just the rover. The vertical projection used here produces the best view of the rover deck itself, though it distorts the ground and antennas somewhat. This image is an approximate true-color rendering that combines images taken through the camera’s 600-nanometer, 530-nanometer, and 480-nanometer filters.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
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2 3 4 5 660 61 62 63 1 2 391 92 9364 65
67 68 69 70 71 72 5 6 7 8 9 10 95 96 97 98 99 100
74 75 76 77 78 79 12 13 14 15 16 17102 103 104 105 106 107
19 20 21 22 23 24109 110 111 112 113 11481 82 83
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4 94
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18 108
25 115 11890
84 85 86
MARS
EARTH
April 1, 2010
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
March 2010 April 2010
A2190 B2169
A2191 B2170
A2192 B2171
A2193 B2172
A2194 B2173
A2195 B2174
A2220 B2199
A2221 B2200
A2222 B2201
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A2230 B2209
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A2235 B2214 B2215
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A2199 B2178 B2179
A2200 B2180
A2201 B2181
A2203 B2183
A2202 B2182
A2204 B2184
A2205 B2185
A2206 B2186
A2207 B2187
A2208 B2188
A2210 B2190
A2209 B2189
A2211 B2191
A2212 B2192
A2213 B2193
A2214 B2194
A2215 B2195
A2217A2216 B2196
A2218 B2197
A2219 B2198
Mars Aphelion
Spirit surpasses
Viking Lander 1
in longevity
L =71.4soL =57.9s
o
Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev Crater on Mars around 6:07 in the evening of Spirit’s sol 489. This small panorama of the western sky was obtained using the Pancam’s 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer, and 430-nanometer color filters. This filter combination allows false-color images to be generated that are similar to what a human would see, but with the colors slightly exagger-ated. In this image, the bluish glow in the sky above the Sun would be visible to us if we were there, but the redness of the sky farther from the sunset is exaggerated. Other images have shown that the twilight glow is visible for up to two hours before sunrise or after sunset. The long Martian twilight is caused by sunlight scattered around to the night side of the planet by abundant high-altitude dust.
NASA/JPL/Texas A&M/Cornell
3
10 11 12 13 14 15
17 18 19
29
31
20 21 22
4 5 6 7 8
1 1 2 3 4152 153 154 155 5 156121
123 124 125 126 127 128 7 8 9 10 11 12158 159 160 161 162 163
130 131 132 133 134 135 14 15 16 17 18 19165 166 167 168 169 170
21 22 23 24 25 26172 173 174 175 176 177137 138 139
14924144 27 28147 14825 26145 146 29 3018028 179
6 157
13 164
20 171
27 178 181
151
140 141 142
MARS
EARTH
June 1, 2010
2
9
16
30
122
129
136
23143
150
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
May 2010 June 2010
A2249B2229
A2279B2259
A2280B2260
A2281B2261
A2282B2262
A2283B2263
A2286B2266
A2285B2265
A2284B2264
A2287B2267
A2288B2268
A2289B2269
A2290
A2293B2272
A2292B2271
A2291B2270
A2294B2273
A2295B2274
A2296B2275
A2297B2276
A2300B2279
A2299B2278
A2298B2277
A2301B2280
A2302B2281
A2303B2282
A2304B2283
A2307B2286
A2306B2285
A2305B2284
A2308 B2287
A2250B2230
A2251B2231
A2252B2232
A2253B2233
A2254 A2255B2234
A2256B2235
A2257B2236
A2258B2237
A2259B2238
A2260B2239
A2261B2240
A2262B2241
A2263B2242
A2264B2243
A2265B2244
A2266B2245
A2267B2246
A2268B2247
A2269B2248
A2270B2249
A2277B2257
A2271B2250
A2272B2251
A2278B2258
B2252A2273B2253
A2274B2254
A2275B2255
A2276B2256
Southern Mars
Winter Solstice
Opportunity surpasses
Viking Lander 1 in longevity
L =98.3soL =84.5s
o
Martian sunset
Opportunity takes a picture of its own shadow as it continues its descent into Endurance Crater. With the Sun low on the horizon, the rover's rear-facing, black-and-white Hazard Avoidance Camera, or Hazcam, easily picks out details of the surface texture and the rover's own tracks in the loose soil. The rovers have two pairs of Hazcams—front and back—to support automated navigation, scanning the immediate land-scape for obstacles that may hinder or damage it. The image was taken on sol 180 (July 26, 2004), a date that marks the achievement of fully double the rover's primary 90-sol mission.
NASA/JPL
5
12 13 14 15 16 17
19 20 21
31
22 23 24
6 7 8 9 10
3 1841 2182 183
186 187 188 189 190 191
2 3 4 5 6 7214 215 216 217 218 219
193 194 195 196 197 198
9 10 11 12 13 14221 222 223 224 225 226
16 17 18 19 20 21228
1 213
8 220
15 227 229 230 231 232 233
200 201 202
21229 30210 211 31 24329 30241 24227 2820826 207
4
11
18
185
192
199
25 206 209
25 237 27 2823926 23822 234 24 23623 235 240203 204 205
MARS EARTH
August 1, 2010
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
July 2010 August 2010
B2288A2309B2289
A2310B2290
A2315B2295
A2314B2294
A2313B2293
A2312B2292
A2311B2291
A2316B2296
A2317B2297
A2322B2301
A2321B2301
A2320B2300
A2319B2299
A2318B2298
A2323B2303
A2324B2304
A2329B2308
A2328B2307
A2327A2326B2306
A2325B2305
A2330B2309
A2331B2310
A2336B2315
A2335B2314
A2334B2313
A2333B2312
A2332B2311
A2337B2316
A2338B2317
A2339B2318
A2340B2319
A2341B2320
A2342B2321
A2343B2322
A2344B2323 B2324
A2345B2325
A2346B2326
A2347B2327
A2348B2328
A2349B2329
A2350B2330
A2351B2331
A2352B2332
A2353B2333
A2354B2334
A2355B2335
A2356B2336
A2357B2337
A2358B2338
A2359B2339
A2360B2340
A2361B2341
A2362B2342
A2363 A2364B2343
A2365B2344
A2366B2345
A2367B2346
A2368B2347
L =126.3soL =111.8s
o
Sol companion
B2406 A2426
B2403 A2423
B2404 A2424
B2405 A2425
303
296
289
Ripples all around NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
September 2010 October 2010 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
1 244 2 1 274 2
Ls=141.4 o Ls=156.7 o
A2369 A2398 A2399 B2348 B2378
5 248 6 249 7 250 8 251 9 6 279 7 280 8 281 9
A2373 A2374 A2375 A2376 A2403 A2404 A2405 A2406 B2352 B2353 B2354 B2355 B2382 B2383 B2384 B2385
12 255 13 256 14 257 15 258 13 286 14 287 15 288 16
A2380 A2381 A2382 A2410 A2411 A2412 A2413 B2359 B2360 B2361 B2362 B2389 B2390 B2391 B2392
19 262 20 263 21 264 22 265 20 293 21 294 22 295 23
A2386 A2387 A2388 A2389 A2417 A2418 A2419 B2366 B2367 B2368 B2369 B2396 B2397 B2398 B2399
27 300 28 301 29 302 30
This view at the edge of Erebus Crater is a false-color composite 360-degree panorama from frames taken by Opportunity’s Pancam on Sols 652 through 663. The mosaic is presented as a vertical projection, providing a true-to-scale overhead view of the rover deck and nearby surrounding terrain. The view here shows outcrop rocks, sand dunes, and other features out to a distance of about 25 meters (82 feet) from the rover. The view shows examples of the dunes and ripples that Opportunity crossed as it drove on the Meridiani plains.
16 17259
EARTH
18
23 24 25
10 11
4 2473245 246
252 253 254 4 5277 278
260 261 11 12284 285
18 19291 292
30 27328 2927127 27026 269 272 25 298
3 276
10 283
17 290
24
31
297
304
26 299
266 267 268
MARS
October 1, 2010
A2370 B2349
A2371 B2350
A2372 B2351
A2377 B2356
A2378 B2357
A2379 B2358
A2383 B2363
A2384 B2364
A2385 B2365
A2390 B2370
A2391 B2371
A2392 B2372
A2396 B2376
A2395 B2375
A2394 B2374
A2393 B2373
A2397 B2377
A2402 B2381
A2401 B2380
A2400 B2379
A2409 B2388
A2408 B2387
A2407 B2386
A2416 B2395
A2415 B2394
A2414 B2393
A2422 B2402
A2421 B2401
A2427 B2407
A2420 B2400
275
282
NASA’s twin Mars Exploration Rovers have grown smarter as they’ve grown older. The top image from Opportunity shows the tracks left by a drive executed with more onboard autonomy than ever before. Opportunity was testing a navigational capability called “Field D-star,” which enables the rover to plan optimal long-range drives around any obstacles in order to travel the most direct, safe route to a destina-tion. Opportunity and its twin, Spirit, acquired this capability in their third year on Mars. The bottom image is one frame of a movie taken by Spirit's navigation camera of a passing Martian dust devil. How did the rover know a dust devil was passing? It—and Opportunity—had acquired some new artificial intelligence software called "autonomous sciencecraft" that enabled it to recognize and capture just such a transient event without any commands from Earth.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
8
15 16 17 18 19 20
22 23 24 25 26 27
9 10 11 12 13
6 3 337 4 3381 335 2 3363104 53083 3072 3061 305 309
312 313 314 315 316 317 6 7 8 9 10 11340 341 342 343 344 345
319 320 321 322 323 324 13 14 15 16 17 18347 348 349 350 351 352
20 21 22 23 24 25354 355 356 357 358 359326 327 328
30 33429 333
7
14
21
311
318
325
28 332 29 363 31 36530 36427 361
6 339
13 346
20 353
27 360 28 362
329 330 331
MARS
EARTH
December 1, 2010
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
November 2010 December 2010
A2428B2408
A2429B2409
A2430B2410
A2431B2411
A2432B2412
A2433B2413
A2435B2415
A2434B2414
A2436 A2437B2416
A2438B2417
A2439B2418
A2440B2429
A2442B2421
A2441B2420
A2443B2422
A2444B2423
A2445B2424
A2446B2425
A2447B2426
A2449B2428
A2448B2427
A2450B2429
A2451B2430
A2452B2431
A2453B2432 B2433
A2455B2435
A2454B2434
A2456B2436
SouthernMars Vernal
Equinox
A2457B2437
A2458B2438
A2459B2439
A2460B2440
A2464B2444
A2465B2445
A2466B2446
A2461B2441
A2462B2442
A2463B2443
A2467B2447
A2471B2451
A2472 A2473B2452
A2468B2448
A2469B2449
A2470B2450
A2474B2453
A2478B2457
A2479B2458
A2480B2459
A2475B2454
A2476B2455
A2477B2456
A2481B2460
A2485B2464
A2486B2465
A2487B2466
A2482B2461
A2483B2462
A2484B2463
L =173.4so L =190.3s
o
Toward autonomy: navigation and data capture
Mars Exploration Rovers Quick Facts
Launch vehicles: Boeing Delta II
Launch date: Spirit—June 10, 2003 UTC Opportunity—July 7, 2003 UTC
Arrival date: Spirit— January 4, 2004 UTC Opportunity—January 25, 2004 UTC
Landing site: Spirit—Gusev Crater (14.57°S, 175.47°E) Opportunity—Eagle Crater on Meridiani Planum (1.95°S, 354.47°E)
Landing technology: Atmospheric entry aeroshell, backshell with parachute and retro rockets, and airbags to cushion landing.
Mission objective: Assess the history of environmental conditions at sites that may once have been wet and favorable to life.
Duration of primary mission: 90 Martian days (sols)
Duration of primary plus extended mission: Over five years
Total distance covered in first five years: Spirit—7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) Opportunity—13.6 kilometers (8.5 miles)
One day Martian driving record: Opportunity, 140.9 meters (462 feet) on April 30, 2004
Number of images sent to Earth: Over 220,000
Amount of data returned: More than 36 gigabytes
Mars Exploration Rovers Project Management
John Callas, JPL, Pasadena, CA Project Manager
Bruce Banerdt, JPL, Pasadena, CA Project Scientist
Diana Blaney, JPL, Pasadena, CA Deputy Project Scientist
Steven Squyres, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Athena Science Payload Principal Investigator
Ray Arvidson, Washington University, St. Louis, MO Deputy Athena Science Payload Principal Investigator
For more information, visit marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov and mars.jpl.nasa.gov.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California
www.nasa.gov
The aeroshell protects the rover from fiery temperatures as it enters the Martian atmosphere. (Artist’s rendering)
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